Matchmaking, the art of selecting partnerships among a body of people so that the selected partners will have an enjoyable and satisfactory relationship, is one of the oldest practices known to humankind. Traditionally, matchmaking has been done in various cultures by skilled individuals, by parents or relatives, or organically through relationships among the parties, such as through dating.
As time-honored as these traditions are, their difficulties and imperfections are well known. This is due in large part to the limited knowledge that the relevant parties bring: even the most skilled matchmakers must make decisions based on no more than a handful of past experiences and anecdotes of a handful more. Furthermore, the use of an external third party to dictate matches is in conflict with modern concepts of free choice and independence. Today, individuals not only want to know whether a relationship will work, but also what to do to improve a relationship's success, as can be easily seen through the proliferation of self-help books and magazines.